Tool for slotting metal venetian blind slats



United Stats atent C TOOL FOR SLTITNG METAL VENETIAN BLIND SLATS Hubert G. Buyas, Burbank, Calif.

Application July 31, 1953, Serial No. 371,547

2 Claims. (Cl. 30-258) This invention relates to hand tools for cutting slots or notches in sheet metal and more particularly to a hand tool for cutting slots in sheet metal Venetian blind slats so that individual slats can be removed from associated elevator cords, without disassembling the blind.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a hand tool for cutting slots or notches in sheet metal objects, such as sheet metal Venetian blind slats, which tool is of light weight and eifective upon the application of moderate manual pressure to cut a slot in a sheet metal Venetian slat from the elevator cord receiving aperture in the slat to one edge of the slat so that the Slat can be individually disengaged. from the associated elevator cord without the necessity of disassembling the entire blind for the removal of a slat therefrom; which removes Sullicient metal from the slat to provide a slot through which the elevator cord will easily pass and have no bent or rough portions on the slat; which includes gauge means for properly positioning the slot relative to the cord receiving aperture in the slat and for holdingr the slat against slipping relative to the tool during the slot cutting operation; which has replaceable cutting dies; and which is simple and durable in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to use, and positive and efective in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure lis a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of a Venetian blind slat and of a cutting tool illustrative of the invention shown in slot-cutting position relative to the slat; 1

Figure 2 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of the slot cutting tool;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary `cross sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of a sheet metal Venetian blind slat after a slot has been cut in it by the slot-cutting tool of the invention.

With continued reference to the drawing, the tool comprises side members, generally indicated at 10 and 11 of which the side member 10 is preferably formed as a sheet metal stumping and the side member 11 as a solid metal forging or casting.

The side member 10 includes a handle 12 of U-shaped cross section and a bifurcated jaw 13 disposed in end to end relationship with the handle 12 and having spaced apart and substantially parallel furcations 14 and 15. The side member 11 includes an elongated handle 16 and a jaw 17 disposed in end to end relationship with the handle 16 and provided in one side with a longitudinally extending groove 18 of rectangular cross sectional shape.

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The side members 10 and 11 are crossed over at the juncture of their handle and jaw portions, the member 11 being received between the spaced apart sides or furcations of the member 10, and are pivotally connected together by a pivot pin 19 extending through registering apertures in the two side members so that the jaws 13 and 17 are forced together when the handles 12 and 16 are forced toward each other by manual pressure exerted thereon.

A female die 20 in the form of a metal block of elongated rectangular shape, is disposed between the furcations 14 and 15 of the jaw 13 and extends longitudinally of the associated jaw, being detachably secured therein by longitudinally extending external flanges 21 and 22 extend along one edge of and at respectively opposite sides of the die block 20 and respectively overlying the edges of the jaw furcations 14 and 15 nearest the jaw 17. The die block 20 is provided with a longitudinally extending and medially disposed groove Vor slot 23 of rectangular cross sectional shape opening to the side of the die block 20 nearest jaw 17 and having a depth only slightly less than the die block in which it is provided. This groove 23 has enlargements 24 and 25 extending longitudinally thereof substantially parallel to the face of the die block to which the groove opens, the enlargement 25 extending along the bottom or inner side of the groove and the enlargement 24 being disposed substantially mid-way between the enlargement 25 and the open or outer side of the groove. These enlargements Z4 and 25 are provided to facilitate the discharge of metal cuttings from the groove 23 as will later appear. The medially disposed groove 23 provides on the face of the female die block 20 nearest the jaw 17 spaced apart and parallel ridges or lands 26 and 27 the edges of which along the open side of the groove constitute cutting edges.

A male die block 30 of elongated rectangular shape `is disposed along one edge in the groove 18 of the jaw 17 and has a tongue or blade 31 of rectangular shape projecting from the jaw 17 toward the female die block 20. The tongue 31 has a length substantially equal to the length of the lands 26 and 27 and has a thickness substantially equal to the width of the groove 23 so that it will pass into this groove between the cutting edges of the lands 26 and 27 when the jaws 13 and 17 are forced t0- gether. The side edges of the tongue remote from the jaw 17 constitute cutting edges cooperating with the cutting edges of the lands 26 and 27 to shear sheet metal placed between the die blocks when the jaws are forced together and remove a strip from the sheet metal to provide a slot therein. The die block 30 is detachably secured in the groove 18 in jaw 17 by pins 32 and 33 extending transversely through the jaw 17 and the portion of die block 30 received in groove 18 at locations spaced apart along jaw 17.

A strap metal clip 35 having a U-shaped intermediate portion receives the jaw 13 in its intermediate portion in position such that its parallel legs 36 and 37 extend respectively along the outer sides of the jaw furcations and its semicylindrical intermediate or bight portion 38 extends around and is spaced from the outer end of the die block 20. The ends of the legs 36 and 37 of the clip 35 at the open end of the intermediate portion of the clip are disposed adjacent the pivot pin 19 and widened, as indicated at 40 and 41 to provide extensions projecting from the corresponding legs toward the jaw 17 and gauge arms 42 and 43 are bent outwardly from these extensions and project perpendicularly from the respectively opposite sides of the jaw 13.

A rounded positioning linger or detent 44 is secured at one end in the space between the intermediate portion Patented May 29, 1956v 38 of the clip 35 and the adjacent end of the die block 20 and projects from the jaw 13 toward the jaw 17. The detent is of a size to t with practical closeness into a transversely elongated aperture 45 provided in a sheet metal Venetian blind slat 46 to receive an elevator cord 47 and the gauge arms 42 and 43 have their surfaces facing the detent 44 substantially in a common plane perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the tool and spaced from the detent a distance substantially eq-ual to the distance from one edge of the slat to the adjacent end of the aperture 45. With the detent in the aperture 45 and the gauge arms 42 and 43 against an edge of the slat, when the jaws 13 and 17 are forced together the tool will cut a slot from the aperture 45 to the selected edge of the slat perpendicular to the slat edge and the engagement of the detent in the aperture prevents the Slat from slipping relative to the tool during the cutting operation. The tool is particularly designed for use on the usual transversely curved sheet metal slats of uniform thickness having no beads or flanges along their side edges.

The pieces of material cut from the slats during successive operations of the tool will be contained in the slot 23. After a substantial number of pieces of slat material are in the slot, a round rod may be inserted into either groove 24, 25 to remove the cut pieces from the groove 23, to thus prepare the tool for further cutting operations.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with metal Venetian blind slats having transversely elongated closed apertures therein for receiving an elevator cord therethrough, a tool for cutting a slot in a slat to extend from an aperture in the slat through one longitudinal edge of the slat to facilitate removal of an elevator cord, said tool comprising a cutter head and a die head both arranged at one end of the tool for movement toward and away from each other in intersecting arcuate paths and adapted to receive the one longitudinal edge of the slat therebetween, said cutter head including a cutter projecting therefrom toward said die head, said die head including a die block having a groove therein opening through opposite ends thereof and through one side thereof adjacent said cutter head for receiving therein said cutter to afford a shearing action therewith as the heads are advanced into intersecting relation to cut a slot in said slat, a clip carried by said die head in surrounding relation thereto and having a bight spaced outwardly from the free end of said die head, a positioning nger received by said clip in the space between said bight and said die head and projecting toward said cutter head, said linger being adapted to be received in an aperture in the slat to position said cutter head and said die head relative to said slat and said aperture so that the slat cut by said tool will extend from the aperture to the longitudinal edge of the slat received between said heads.

2. For use with metal Venetian blind slats having transversely elongated closed apertures therein for receiving an elevator cord therethrough, a tool for cutting a slot in a slat to extend from an aperture in the slat through one longitudinal edge of the slat to facilitate removal of an elevator cord, said tool comprising a cutter head and a die head both arranged at one end of the tool for movement toward and away from cach other in intersecting arcuate paths and adapted to receive the one longitudinal edge of the slat therebetween, said cutter head including a cutter projecting therefrom toward said die head, said die head including a die block having a groove therein opening through opposite ends thereof and through one side thereof adjacent said cutter head for receiving therein said cutter to afford a shearing action therewith as the heads are advanced into intersecting relation to cut a slot in said slat, a clip carried by said die head in surrounding relation thereto and having a bight spaced outwardly from the free end of said die head, a positioning finger received by said clip in the space between said bight and said die head and projecting toward said cutter head, said nger being adapted to be received in an aperture in the slat to position said cutter head and said die head relative to said slat and said aperture so that the slot cut by said tool will extend from the aperture to the longitudinal edge of the Slat received between said heads, and gauge arms carried by said clip adjacent the end thereof remote from said bight and projecting laterally therefrom to opposite sides of said die head to gauge the depth to which the longitudinal edge of the slat will be received between said heads.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 137,745 Whitney Apr. 8, 1873 1,450,795 Dohe Apr. 3, 1923 1,529,489 Leipold Mar. 10, 1925 2,224,226 Jensen Dec. 10, 1940 2,404,985 Rembold July 30, 1946 2,556,559 Smith June 12, 1951 2,589,891 Stone Mar. 18, 1952 2,639,504 May May 26, 1953 

